Means for making flaps and the like for garments



1944- .i. P. WlREN 2,355,023

MEANS FOR MAKING FLAPS AND THE LIKE FOR GARMENTS Filed July :18, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l 76. /Z' fivmevvro/P Jean au/ 1/1/0164? 4 7' rap/may Aug. 1, 1944. w 2,355,023

MEANS FOR MAKING FLAPS AND THE LiKE FOR GARMENTS Filed July 18, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jean Paa/ Mf /7 ATTOR EY Patented Au 1, 1944 OFFICE MEANS FOR MAKING'FL APS AND THE LIKE FOR GARMENTS Jean Paul Wiren, New ma, N. Y. Application July 18, 1941, Serial No. 402,953,

' 3 Claims.

In manufacturing flaps, such as flaps for the pockets in garments, it has 'heretofore'been the practice, in .quantity production, to cut or blank out a. considerable quantity of such flaps in one operation. .A stack comprising around 40 50 pieces of material is subjected to a die which cuts through the entire stack blanking out a ,flap blankfrom each piece of materiaL. With this method, the flap pieces are intended to be cut to the correct size, and, thereafter, are sewn, two flap blanks together, alongtheir side edges and along three sides thereof. 1

However, in practice, it is found that whena stack consisting of a large numberof pieces of fabric is die cut in the foregoing manner, the flap blanks so produced are not of uniform size and configuration. It therefore becomes the duty of an operator to match the flap blanks or, in other words, to pick from the mass of blanks two. blanks which are substantially of like size, order and shape before they are sewn together.

' Obviously, when the flaps are formed .from blanks whichto a noticeable degreev vary in size, thefinished flaps will also vary in size oneto another and, similarly, they may vary. in shape.

rthermor'e, when two flap blanks are sewn together by an operator, the line ofstitchingis not always uniformly spaced from the edges of the. blanks. Because of this fact and also the fact, ,as above pointed out, that the blanksv are i not of uniform size, the finished ,flaps practically allvary and many to a noticeabledegreeboth in shape and size. The finished flaps, of jcourse,' are turned inside out after they are stitched and the stitching more or less determines the precisecom figuration of the finished flap.

. A first object of myrinvention resides in the provision of a novel method for making flaps and the like for garments which, in the practice thereof; will produce flaps'of substantially like 'size"and shape. V V 1' Another objectofmy invention resides i n pro riding a, novel template or guide element, which serves as. a pattern to guidelthe operatorbqth in the stitching and a cuttingortrimmi'ngfoperation'while the flap is being made. i I

' Still another object resides inprovidinga com,- bined sewing and trimming machine whichis provided with means adapted to cooperate with a template of the above character as a guide for said template while it is moved inengagem'ent therewith, said template-guiding means being characterized by' the fact that it will so function even though the side edges of saidtemplateare of concaveconfiguration.

With these andother objects in View, my invention includes the novel steps practiced in the method thereof and. the novel elements. and the constructions and correlations thereof described below and illustrated in the accompanying draw.- ings, in which- I Fig. 1 isa plan view of one form of template for use in sewing and trimming flap blanks from larger blanks of material;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation view thereof; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the two plates of the template fully opened up;

Fig. .4 is a plan viewof the template when opened up as-shown inFig. 3 and .showingthe inner surfaces of the plates; v

Fig. 5 shows ablank'of material operatively disposed between the plates of the template;

Fig. 6 is afragmentary, perspective View of a sewing and trimming machine constructed in accordance with my invention;

' Fig. 7 is a fragmentary, plan View of the bed of the sewing machine shown inFig; 6;

.Fig. 8 is a side elevation View of the needle plate shown in Fi 7; h

Fig. 9 is ape'rs pective view of a preferred form of preisser foot formed in accordance with my invention;,. f

Fig. 10 is a sectional view thereof taken in I about the plane [09-10 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary, lanview' of the bed of the machine showing the presser foot'operatively arranged thereover; and

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary view illustrating the manner in which a flap is stitched and severed from th blanks as it is made. Y It will be understood that the method and the means .of my invention may be employed not only in fabricating flaps of various sizes and irregular shapes but it may also be used in'making other parts of garments. In the drawings I have illustrated and in the following will describeon'e form of template and it will be readily perceived that flaps of other sizes and configurations may bemadesimply by employing other templateshaving suitable configurations.

In the practice of this invention, I proposeflto place between the relativelymovable flaps of a templatejdevice a pair of blanks of material, the blanks being somewhat larger in size than that of the finished flap and, thereafter, by using the edges of the template which overlie the. blanks as guides, to. s'titchthe'twojfblanks together in uniformly spaced relation tothe sides of the template, and while still using said template as a guide,. to trim Orcut-the portions of the two blanks held between the plates of the template a, the hinge plates 4 and 5 being secured in any suitable manner to the plates 2 and 3, respec-.. tively. The inner surfaces of the plates 2 andi3- preferably comprise or are provided with a gripping means which is adapted to provide fir'men-I- gagement between the plates of the template and the fabric therebetween whereby to prevent relative movement between the template and fabric 1 While the fabric is undergoing a sewing and trimming operation. In the'embodiment illustrated,

the plates 2 and 3 have adhesively secured thereto strips 6 and 1 of emery cloth. The strips of emery cloth are preferably substantially c'oext'en sive with the plates 2 and 3 and at least extend along the. free side edges of the plates which are used as guides in the stitching operation.

When it is desired to fabricate a flap, of the shape of the template shown in the drawings,.,two blanks of material are inserted in superimposed relation between the plates 2 and 3 of the template I as indicated at 8in.Fig. 5, only one blank, of course, appearing therein. The hinge may adapted to lie substantially flat against the fabric, the forward end thereof curving upwardly, as indicated at l 9, in the usual manner to facilitate the insertion of fabric therebeneath.

In accordance with my invention, however, one side of the plate-like element l8 which extends in the general direction of that in which the fabric moves while being stitched is provided with a rounded projection or convex side edge 20. Since'the plate-like element l8 of the presser foot may be comparatively short in 'length, the entire side edge thereof may be rounded as illustrated in the embodiment herein shown and, preferably the peak of the rounded side edge 20, as indicated at 2| in Fig. 10, lies opposite the needle hole 22 in the presser foot. In

. other words, a line passed through the peak 2| serve to align the inner edges of the two blanks,

Since, in accordance with my invention, the templates are employed, while gripping the blanks of fabric 8 between the plates thereof,.as a guide during the stitching and'trimming' operation and since the stitching Will lie in'outWardly spaced relation to the side'edges' ofthe template, thetemplates, of course, will ,be'made somewhat smaller than the finished flap.

The machine of my invention ,on whichthe stitching and trimming operation] is formed, is arranged to provide a guide means preferably precisely disposed relative to the stitching and'the trimming mechanism thereof. In the preferred form of'my machine, as illustrated, this guide means, which-serves to maintain the edges of the templates in uniformlyspaced relation to the stitching and cutting. mechanism as the templates are moved along and in engagement therewith, is so constructed that templates having curved, concave sideedges, such as that indicated at 9, may be'guided'in the foregoing manner. a

In Figs. 6 through 11, I have illustrated, a preferred cutting and trimming machine for making flaps. In the embodiment illustrated, the I bed I 0 of the machine is provided with the usual needle "or throat plate H which is formed with an elongated-opening 12 therein, through which thefabric 'feeding mechanism l3 projects and in which it is adapted in the customary manner to reciprocate. The needle plate is also provided with the usual needle hole' l4, through which the needle is adapted to pass, and an upstanding cutting bar [5 with which a reciprocating knife I6 is adapted to cooperatein trimming or cutting the fabric as it is stitched. Above the needle plate ll is, mounted a presser foot I! which is adapted to be moved toward and away fromthe needle plate and to engagawhen' movedtoward the plate, a'fabric therebetween. The presser foot comprises a plate -like element 18 which'is of the Side edge 20 and the center of needle hole 7 22 preferably extends in a direction substantially at right angles to the direction which the feeding mechanism will move the fabric. 7 v

v In making the flaps, the template I with the blanks 8 of material between the plates thereof, as shown in Fig. 5, is placed on the bed of the machine, and the presser foot is lowered upon the fabric with the peak 2| of its curved side in engagement'with the side edge of the template as shown in Fig, 12; Of course, the stitching opera tion is started at one side of the template adjacent the hinge and continued along the three, free sides thereof. In stitching, the template is moved continuously in contact with the curved side edge 20 of the presser foot as shown in Fig. 12. Hence, the row of stitching will follow and in uniformly spaced relation to the side edges of the template and, furthermore, since simultaneously a trimming orcutting operation is carried out by means of the'knife l 6 in cooperation with the cutting bar l5 of the needle or throat plate I I, the blanks will also be' cut alon a line following the side edges of the template but uniformly spaced therefrom and on the outer side of the stitching.

Dueto thecurved side edge 20 of the presser foot,.templates having side edges of concave form may be guided thereby in forming flaps and the line ofstitching will lie at a uniform spacing from ,the side'edges of the template throughout the entire length thereof. Furthermore, since the curved side edge 20 is comparatively short in lengthand may have a substantially small radius of curvature, the templates may have concave side edges having smallradii of curvature, substantially as small as that of the edge 20 of the presser foot, and under all of these conditions the presser foot will serve as a guide for the templates uniformly to space the stitching and line of trim from the side edges thereof whereby accurately stitched and trimmed flaps to correct and uniform size and configuration will be made. Obviously, if the radius of curvature of a side edge or part thereof of a template should be substantially less than that of the side edge of the presser foot, uniformity'in the spacing of the stitching from the side edge of the template, using the template and presser foot as guiding means, will not result.

In accordance with my invention, I also propose to provide the bed of the machine witha guide means similar to that formed on the presser foot, and I preferably provide both guide means, which are aligned with each other and are adapted to be engaged respectively by the plates of 'the'template which overlie and underlie the blanks. p

In the embodiment herein illustrated, the needle or throat plate is provided with a guide means indicated generally at 23. provided with a portion 24 having a curved edge 25 which conforms in shape to therounded side edge 20 of the presser foot and is disposed beneath and in alignment therewith, as shown in Fig. 11. The upper surface of portion 24 is preferably substantially flush with the upper surface of the main body of the needl plate but lies above the upper surface of the slide 26 in the bed of the machine which when removed affords access to the bobbin case. The upper surface of the needle plate and guide portion 24 lies in spaced relationabove the surface of the bed and slide 26, the bed and slide 26 being substantially flush with each other. Furthermore, the slide 26 is preferably cut away so as to fit about the portion 24 of the needle plate when slid into position to effect a closure over the bobbin case.

When both the bed of the machineand the presser foot are formed with guide means as hereinabove described, a template having a pair of blanks of fabric disposed between the plates thereof may be placed on the machine bed and slid over theslide 25 with the blanks overlying the needle plate and the side edge of the lowermost plate of the template abutting the guiding edge 25. The presser foot is then lowered into engagement with the fabric adjacent the upper template plate, as shown in Fig. 12, and the stitching and trimming operation carried out by moving the template with its upper and lower plates in engagement respectively with the guide edges 20, of the presser foot, and 25 of the needle plate,

t is important to note that in the practice of my present invention, the flaps will accurately correspond to the template employed and those made with the same template will be substantially of exactly the same size and shape. Furthermore, the necessity of matching blanks to obtain a pair of like size and shape is entirely eliminated. Additionally, since the finished flaps accurately conform in size and shape, the garment to which a pair thereof are applied will have a much smarter and better tailored appearance than otherwise.

In the preferred form of my invention herein described, the guiding edges of the needle plate and presser foot are designed to conform to the curvature of the template device and to engage it for an appreciable distance along its edges dur ing the flap-forming operation whereby to provide a positive guiding action. Hence, the concave edges of the template in shape preferably substantially conform to arcs of circles whereby the complementary guiding edges on the presser foot and bed of the machine, which likewise of course preferably substantially conform to an arc of a circle, will cooperate therewith accurately to. guide the work in the machine. Under these conditions, it will be understood that, in production, the guiding means on the needle plate and the presser foot are changed to those having suitable curvatures conforming to the curvature of the template to be used when flaps of another,

curved configuration are to be made.

While I have described my invention in its The needle plate is preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the words which I have used are words of description rather than of limitation. Hence, changes within the purview of the appended claims may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of my invention in its broader aspects.

What I claim is:

l. A sewing machine comprising a bed including a needle plate having its upper surface disposed at a slightly higher elevation than the upper surface of said bed, a presser foot having a vertical side edge, a mounting for said. presser foot adapting it to be moved towards and away from said needle plate to engage and release a fabric positioned therebetween, and a template guiding means on said bed having a flat upper surface substantially flush with the upper surface of said needle plate and provided with a vertical, template-guiding edge in vertical alignment with the side edge of said presser foot; said template guiding edge and the side edge of said presser foot presenting exposed surfaces against which a fabric holding template comprising a lower plate and an upper plate having verticallyaligned guiding edges between which the fabric is held may be manually positioned and maintained on said bed with the edge of said lower plate in contact with the vertical edge of said template guiding means and the edge of said upper plate in contact with the side edge of said presser foot while said fabric is being stitched.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 in which the side edge of said presser foot, and the guiding edge on said template-guiding means are convex curves.

3. The combination with a sewing machine comprising a bed including a needle plate having its upper surface disposed at a slightly higher elevation than the upper surface of said bed, a presser foot having a substantially vertical side edge, a mounting for said presser foot adapting it to be moved towards and away from said needle plate to engage and release a fabric positioned therebetween, and a template-guiding means on said bed having a flat upper surface substantially flush with the upper surface of said needle plate and provided with a substantially vertical, template-guiding edge in vertical alignment with the side edge of said presser foot, of a fabricholding template comprising an upper plate and a lower plate having vertically aligned guiding edges between which the fabric is held and which.

are adapted to cooperate, respectively, with the side edge of said presser foot and the guiding edge on said template-guiding means while said fabric is being stitched; said lower plate being of such thickness that, when resting flat on said bed with its guiding edge in contact with the edge of said template-guiding means, its upper surface will be substantially flush with the surface of said needle plate; whereby said fabric will lie flat during the stitching thereof.

JEAN PAUL WIREN. 

